Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128143
Continued from page 3 Akrapovic GTU purse around the 1.6·mile course at the Streets of Willow Springs, according to CCE. Brian Long, 2001 Expert Champion continued his winning ways with seven wins . one second and two thirds out of 12 races. Ryan Mills, a top up·and·coming ama· teur motocross racer, will ride under the AMSOIUDr. Martens/Journeys Factory Connection Honda Racing banner. According to Factory Connection owner Rick lielfelder, Mills will receive .. sup· port" this year, with his competition schedule including the World Mini Cham· pionships in Vegas and the AMA Ama· teur National Championships at Loretta Lynn's. Mills, who will turn 16 this sum· mer, will aiso have to opportunity to race a couple of AMA Nationals with Factory Connection Honda on the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship Series ... Ryan's a talented kid with real strong potential," said lielfelder. "We'd like to see him make the step from ama· teur to pro racing on a Factory Connec· tion Honda." Mills, who hails from Clin· tondale, New York, was third in one of the schoolboy classes at Loretta's last year, racing, like several other top ama· teurs, in the shadow of James Stewart. A year older, stronger and wiser, Mills has caught the eye of lielfelder. "We're con· fident this young man will shine at the events he's racing this year... that's why we're giving him our support," said lielfelder. "And Ryan's going to prove that there's a link between Honda's ama· teur program and making it to the pro level. " The Tony D. Motocross School kicks off its 21 st season in Tyler, Texas, this year. Added features include: Team Suzuki Support Truck, a factory technician, and special guest Charley Bogard. The school continues on to Arizona, California and Washington after the Texas opening. For the complete 2002 schedule and list of other special features go to their web site at www.tonydmxschool.com or call 410/635·6916. The Reduc Sportbike Association will continue its track days and schools in 2002. The first will be held at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, April 27·28. For more information on the rest of the schedule, call 800/421·8737 or see their Web site at www.reduc.com. Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division has that Formula USA National Road Race Series and Champi· onship Cup Series will be conducting a comer-worker training seminar on Thursday, February 28 at 7 p.m. at the American Motorcycle Institute, A.M.I., in Daytona Beach, Florida. National Safety Director Roger Lyle will be reviewing pro· cedures for flagging, worker priorities, motorcycle pick-up, proper dress, and communications. This seminar is free and open to anyone with interest in leaming how to corner work at the Formula USA National and CCS road races. Formula ApriJia engineer Claudio Lombardi, a creator behind the legendary Ferrari Formula 1 JO-cylinder engine, has been an Aprilia employee since the days of the RSV Millie's transition from road bike into race bike, He was in attendance at a recent test of Aprilia's new RS3 Cube, the company's MatoOP entry for the 2002 season - a motorcycle that bristles with electronics, including fly by wire and air operated valve gear. He answered a few questions about the new motorcycle. A You have adopted many FJ technologies on the RS3, but still it \:)(.is only a three-cylinder. Why did Aprilia choose that format? lt was a good package, easy to install, and with a good solution A concerning the exhaust system and inlet. But on three-cylind.er engine with a conventional tech, like a four-stroke Superbike engine, is not easy to achieve the same power level as a four- or five-cylinder engine. So we decided to use some more sophisticated techs as you called them Formula 1 techs - like air valve system and a light engine also some carbon and sophisticated materials. And to have also the power level at the same level as four or five cylinder engine with conventional techs. This was our purpose. Als it a very short stroke engine, like a Formula J engine, or clos\ol.er to a conventional motorcycle engine? A It is not like a conventional motorcycle but it is not as short as /\.F1. With the same solution as FJ in terms of stroke-to-bore ratio, the bore is too big to allow for a narrow width of the engine. So it is a compromise. lt is not like production but it is not like Fl. It is a good balance in between. AHave you had to compromise the lack of flywheel effect and \::l(.short stroke engine to allow the rider to have some better grip and stability in comering? No, not for that, only for the width of the engine. Not for any A other reason, not really. AHave you had to make any compromises to allow the engine to \.:)(,be more rider-friendly, to sacrifice outright power for increased rldeability and throttle sensitivity? There is a lot of work to do here to get the engine running propA erly at part load and low revs. In Fl, it is like on-and-off, especially 10 years ago when there was a lot of aerodynamic load and slick tires. So it was really on/off power back then. In Fl now it is much more important to have control at balf load. But here? It is so, so important. More work to do for us here. AHave you experiment\ol.ed with firing orders or is it a sImply 120-degree engine? No we haven't. It is A conventional. ADoes the air-valve sys\ottem lend itself to series production or wjJl that have to be altered back to springs on any road going replica Aprilia may produce? There is a iot of work to A do to get into production this system, but it is not impossible. There is no car engine which uses it on the road - but it is not impossible. ADoes this machine \::)(,have many more electronic engine adaptations than a normal motorcycle knock sensors and so on? A There are a lot of probr\.tems with Formula 1 engines, but knock Is not a problem at all. So we do not have it on ours, Als the EFt system actu\::)(.al full-engine manage· ment on this machine? and three-time AMA National Champion Randy Renfrow have been invited to welcome all corner marshals and explain the importance of haVing trained safety personnel at the races. For more info contact Roger Lyle at Rogerllyle@erols.com, or call 301/933-2599. The WML would like to clarify some confusion with the coming school to be held at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California. The Women's Motocross School, or the WSMX, is not associated with the WML (Women's AYes. It is high tech, but it is not a unique solution. you not using injection, Q Are with surprised at YamahaMl? From fuel engineer's but stay'ng carburetors in the an point of view, why would they do that? I am surprised. I don't know really. It is something we had many A years ago in high-perfonnance cars. We switched to electronic systems of injection. Now it is really easy to have a fuel-injection system and it is more easy to have a compromise than have the different jets in the carburetors, then you have to disassemble. Really It is not a matter of - well maybe they achieve the same behavior as you would have with a full injector. But now we can develop the engine more easily. A Will there be different specifications of engines for different \ol.tracks or will it all be down to the engine management to make allowances? At the moment, it is so difficult to have one spec of engine to A cover all circuits because we have such a short time, but you are right, it could be In the future choice. this engine full 990cc capacity? QIS AYes. Alt seems there are two ways to go with any new engine. Full \o£capacity, a lower rev ceiling, and big torque - or a smaller capacity, higher revs and less torque. Maybe in this engine, because of the pneumatic valves, you can have all these things. l think that such a solution - air valves - we can have a very low A ievel of compromJse between torque and high revs that mean high power. HOW much efficiency of the engine do you save by using air valves, rather than springs? A With air valves, it is possible to design an engine revving at very £"\high speed without any failure of the camshaft and distribution system, valves and so on. You lose power because you have to have a pump to compress the air but you need some power to compress the spring. The purpose is only the reliability of the system. With a conventional spring you could never achieve so higb a speed of rpm. Q Motocross League) or members of its staff, according to WML. The WML will be haVing future schools to be announced at a later date, which will be taught by Mercedes Gonzalez. The WML is also hosting the women's National Series and the women's International Championship held in conjunction with the AMAIChevy Trucks Outdoor Series. For more information, see www.womensmxleague.com. The Fire & Police Benefit Motocross will be held June 28-29 at Gordon RItchie Crown Canyon and Beans Bike Park in Ohio. In over three years of doing the race. over $15,000 has been raised. For more information, call 330/733-6896. Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. has named Shigeru Hamada to succeed the company's outgoing president, Masatoshi Tsuratani, effective February 1. Hamada most recently held the position of general manager of research and development division and was also vice president and operating officer of the Consumer Products and Machinery Company for Kawasaki Heavy Industries. eN